Muffler for vehicle

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a muffler for vehicle, being capable of augmenting engine&#39;s output power more than conventional tuning mufflers and more effectively eliminating exhaust noise. The muffler comprises: exhaust pressure control means connected to an exhaust manifold of an vehicle engine, for controlling pressure of the exhaust gas, the exhaust pressure control means comprising an exhaust pressure control plate, which is pivotally attached to a predetermined position of the exhaust pressure control part; and noise elimination means, which shapes generally a hollow pipe and is connected to the exhaust pressure control means part, the noise elimination means comprising a mesh pipe, through which the exhaust gas passes; a sound absorber enveloping the mesh pipe; and a casing enclosing the sound absorber, whose one end is connected to the exhaust pressure control means and the other end is connected to an outlet.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a muffler for vehicle, being capable ofaugmenting engine's output power more than conventional tuning mufflersand more effectively eliminating exhaust noise.

BACKGROUND ART

A muffler, generally installed at the outlet of an exhaust pipeconnected to an exhaust manifold, is a device that eliminates exhaustnoise by reducing the pressure of exhaust gas from an engine. Mufflersare roughly divided into a dilation type, an absorption type, and apartition type. Of these, the partition type is generally used forconventional pure parts.

In the partition type muffler having multiple isolating partitions init, the exhaust gas is step-wise reduced while passing the isolatingpartitions, and therefore, the partition type muffler has better noiseelimination capability compared to other type mufflers. However, sincethe isolating partitions in itself impede or resist the flow of theexhaust gas, the engine output power is accordingly reduced.

Recently, many automobile maniacs like to tune or replace the originalmuffler to increase the engine output power at the sacrifice of noiseelimination. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a certain replacementmuffler. As shown, the replacement muffler 10 is composed of a casing 1,whose one end is fixed to an exhaust manifold 7 and the other end isconnected to an outlet; a multi-punctured pipe 2, located in the casing1 and connected to the exhaust manifold 7, for forming therein anexhaust gas passing channel 4; and a sound absorbing material 6, filledin the casing 1 and wrapping the multi-punctured pipe 2.

FIG. 2 shows the multi-punctured pipe 2 that has a plurality of holes 3on its circumference. Explosion sound, especially high frequency sound,from the engine spouts from the holes 3 and absorbed into the soundabsorbing material 6 in the middle of passing the exhaust gas passingchannel 4. It is noted that the exhaust gas passing channel 4 iscompletely open such that no hindrance pressure against the exhaust gasfrom the engine is generated.

In the conventional muffler, since there is no obstacles in the exhaustgas passing channel 4, the exhaust gas can freely pass the channel 4 inthe direction of ‘a’, but, for the same reason, the exhaust noise freelygives off the muffler also. In addition, since the exhaust gas passingchannel 4 is always open to the atmosphere, the temperature in acombustion room of the engine becomes abnormally lower.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention is invented to overcome the conventional tuningmuffler's drawbacks. It is an object of the present invention to providea muffler for vehicle that generates output power more than theconventional tuning muffler, and also increases the noise eliminationcapability more than convention partition type muffler.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a muffler forvehicle that prevents the temperature drop in the engine's combustionroom occurring in the conventional muffler because the exhaust gaspassing channel is always open to the atmosphere.

To achieve the above object, there is provided a muffler for vehiclecomprising:

exhaust pressure control means connected to an exhaust manifold of anvehicle engine, for controlling pressure of the exhaust gas,

the exhaust pressure control means comprising an exhaust pressurecontrol plate, which is pivotally attached to a predetermined positionof the exhaust pressure control part, and

noise elimination means, which shapes generally a hollow pipe and isconnected to the exhaust pressure control means part,

the noise elimination means comprising a mesh pipe, through which theexhaust gas passes; a sound absorber enveloping the mesh pipe; and acasing enclosing the sound absorber, whose one end is connected to theexhaust pressure control means and the other end is connected to anoutlet.

According to another feature of the present invention, there is provideda muffler for vehicle comprising

noise elimination means, which shapes generally a hollow pipe and isconnected to the exhaust pressure control means part, the noiseelimination means comprising a mesh pipe, through which the exhaust gaspasses; a sound absorber enveloping the mesh pipe; and a casingenclosing the sound absorber, whose one end is connected to the exhaustpressure control means and the other end is connected to an outlet,

exhaust pressure control means connected to an exhaust manifold of anvehicle engine, for controlling pressure of the exhaust gas,

the exhaust pressure control means comprising an exhaust pressurecontrol plate, which is pivotally attached to a predetermined positionof the exhaust pressure control part, and

at least one second noise elimination means connected to said noiseelimination means, the second noise elimination means having the sameconstruction as said noise elimination means.

It is preferable that the sound absorber is formed by piling at leasttwo different sound absorbing materials, and the exhaust pressurecontrol plate is located near the location of the engine. It is alsopreferable that the mesh pipe is dense so as not to be seen through it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of a conventional muffler,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a multi-punctured pipe in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of one embodiment of the presentinvention,

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of A-A section in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a front view of an exhaust pressure control plate of theembodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mesh pipe of the embodiment of thepresent invention,

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the mesh pipe of the embodiment of thepresent invention,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the presentinvention,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention,

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of one embodiment of the presentinvention, and FIG. 4 is an A-A cross-section view from FIG. 3. As shownin FIG. 3, a muffler according to the embodiment of the presentinvention, is composed of an exhaust pressure control part 20 connectedto the exhaust manifold of the engine, and a noise elimination part 25connected to an opposite end of the exhaust pressure control part 20. Anopposite end of the noise elimination part 25 is connected to an outlet27 which emits the exhaust gas from the engine to the atmosphere.

The exhaust pressure control part 20 includes therein an exhaustpressure control plate 21 which is pivotally attached to a certainposition of the top of the exhaust pressure control part 20. It ispreferable that the exhaust pressure control plate 21 is positioned nearthe engine. FIG. 5 is a front view of the pressure control plate 21,which shows a plurality of exhaust holes 28. The exhaust holes may beone or several larger holes, unlike many small holes depicted in FIG. 5.

The noise elimination part 25 is composed of a mesh pipe 22, throughwhich the exhaust gas passes; a sound absorber 23 enveloping the meshpipe 22; and a casing 24 enclosing the sound absorber 23. The mesh pipe22 is an element that replaces the multi-punctured pipe 2 shown in FIGS.1 and 2. The mesh pipe 22 is depicted in FIG. 6.

Unlike the conventional multi-punctured pipe 2 in which a plurality ofholes are penetrated, the mesh pipe 22 according to the presentinvention is constructed by a mesh sheet 22 a (see FIG. 7). The meshsheet 22 a, made of a dense wire net, is cylindrically rolled and thelateral ends are capped by fixing means 22 b to be fixed to thecylindrical shape. It is preferable that the mesh sheet 22 a is dense soas not to be seen through it. By replacing the multi-punctured pipe 2 tothis mesh pipe 22, both the noise elimination efficiency and the engineoutput power can be increased. In addition, since the dimension of themesh pipe 22 is relatively smaller, the dimension of the whole mufflermay be decreased.

The sound absorber 23 eliminates the explosion sound of the exhaust gas,in which three different sound absorbing materials are piled: forexample, a stainless steel wool 23 a which adjoins the mesh pipe 22; aceramic wool 23 b in the intermediate layer; and a rock wool 23 c in theoutermost layer. The stainless steel wool 23 a plays a role in absorbingthe exhaust sound, protecting the other absorbing materials, and maltingthe exhaust sound mellow even in the long term use. The ceramic wool 23b is an excellent sound absorbing material that has the goodheat-endurability and is strong dampproof. The rock wool 23 c is also anexcellent sound absorbing material. The structure of the above soundabsorber 23 is just an example, and those who skilled in the relevantart may construct the sound absorber by using other materials.

In the mean time, the mesh pipe 22 shown in FIG. 6 may be warped by hightemperature of the exhaust gas, since the mesh pipe 22 is made of apliable material. For prevention, a conventional multi-punctured pipe(see FIG. 2) may be inserted in the mesh pipe 22 to reinforce it. Sincethe hole diameter of the multi-punctured pipe 2 is much smaller thanthat of the mesh pipe 22, the multi-punctured pipe 2 does not have aneffect on the sound elimination capability of the muffler of the presentinvention. It is used just for reinforcing the pliable mesh pipe 22.

Now the operation of the above-structured embodiment will be described.If the exhaust gas from the engine's exhaust manifold is introduced tothe exhaust pressure control part 20, the exhaust pressure control plate21 is backward pushed (see the dotted shape 21′ in FIG. 3) and theexhaust gas enters the noise elimination part 25. The exhaust pressurecontrol plate 21 prevents the temperature drop in the engine'scombustion room occurring in the conventional muffler by screen the openshape of the exhaust gas passing channel from the atmosphere. The weightof the exhaust pressure control plate 21 is dependent on the amount ofengine power. That is, in the small car having the small power engine,the light plate 21 is used, while in the bigger car having the strongerpower engine, the heavier plate 21 is used.

The exhaust noise, especially high-frequency noise, of the gas enteringthe noise elimination part 25 is absorbed by the sound absorber 23through the fine meshes of the mesh pipe 22, thereby being eliminated.The mesh pipe 23 exhibits the much more effective sound elimination inthat it increases the amount of exhaust sound entering the soundabsorber 23 compared to the multi-punctured pipe of the conventionaltuning muffler, and protects un-eliminated sound from discharging fromthe sound absorber 23. In addition, it also increases the engine powercompared to the conventional multi-punctured pipe. In the presentinvention, since the sound absorber 23 is formed by piling differentmaterials having different sound absorbing properties, the soundelimination efficiency can be more increased comparing to theconventional art.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The differencefrom one in FIG. 3 is that a second noise elimination part 25′ isconnected to the noise elimination part 25. The structure of the secondnoise elimination part 25′ is the same as the noise elimination part 25.By adding an extra noise elimination part, the noise eliminationefficiency can be increased, of the matter of course. Further, three ormore noise elimination part may be connected, and between the noiseelimination parts the exhaust pressure control part 20 explained in FIG.1 may be added. In addition, the manufacturer may provide a structure sothat a user can easily assemble and disassemble the multiple noiseelimination parts and exhaust pressure control parts. By doing so, usersmay obtain the muffler suiting their taste or fondness.

FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment of the present invention, in whichthe difference from one in FIG. 8 is the order of the noise eliminationpart 25 and the exhaust pressure control part 20. That is, the muffleris constructed by connecting a first noise elimination part 25 to theexhaust manifold, an exhaust pressure control part 20 to the first noiseelimination part 25, and again a second noise elimination part 25′ tothe exhaust pressure control part 20. The structure of the noiseelimination part 25, 25′ and the exhaust pressure control part 20 arethe same as those in FIG. 1. Similar to the case in FIG. 8, the mufflermay be constructed by adding extra noise elimination parts and exhaustpressure control parts.

FIG. 10 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention, in whicha third noise elimination part 25″ is connected to the second noiseelimination part 25′ shown in FIG. 8. However, in this embodiment thefirst noise elimination part 25 is structured by the mesh pipe of thepresent invention, and the second and the third noise elimination part25′, 25″ are structured by the conventional multi-punctured pipe. Thisembodiment in FIG. 10 operates substantially the same as that in FIG. 8,and however a user can precisely tune the exhaust sound and output poweraccording to the present embodiment. As above, those who skilled in theart may design a variety of combination of the inventive noiseelimination parts and the conventional ones for their certain purposes.

By the way, in the exhaust pressure control part 20 shown in FIG. 3, theexhaust pressure control plate 21 may produce undesired clinking noisebecause it knocks against the casing during operation. To get rid ofthis noise, a tapered multi-punctured pipe 29 is substitutionallyinserted in the mesh pipe 22, as shown in FIG. 11. The figure of thetapered multi-punctured pipe 29 is depicted in FIG. 12. Since anentrance diameter of the tapered multi-punctured pipe 29 is greater thanthe exit diameter, the exhaust gas introduced to the entrance receivesthe more pressure than the untapered conventional pipe, during passingthe exhaust gas passing channel. Therefore, the tapered multi-puncturedpipe 29 performs operation similar to the exhaust pressure control plate21. That is, the tapered multi-punctured pipe 29 controls the pressureof the exiting exhaust gas, such that the engine room temperature is notdecreased under the influence of the atmospheric temperature. Accordingto the experiment, without the exhaust pressure control part 20, thetemperature of the engine room was not decreased. In the experiment, thelength of the tapered multi-punctured pipe 29 was set by around ⅓ of themesh pipe 22. However, the length is not limited to that. It ispreferable that the tapered multi-punctured pipe 29 is located at theendpoint of the engine, but this is not limited to the position.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments to carry out this invention, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A muffler for vehicle comprising exhaust pressure control meansconnected to an exhaust manifold of an vehicle engine, for controllingpressure of the exhaust gas, noise elimination means, which shapesgenerally a hollow pipe and is connected to the exhaust pressure controlmeans part 20, the noise elimination means comprising a mesh pipe,through which the exhaust gas passes; a sound absorber enveloping themesh pipe; and a casing enclosing the sound absorber, whose one end isconnected to the exhaust pressure control means and the other end isconnected to an outlet.
 2. A muffler for vehicle of claim 1, wherein thesound absorber is formed by piling at least two different soundabsorbing materials.
 3. A muffler for vehicle of claim 1, wherein theexhaust pressure control means comprises an exhaust pressure controlplate, which is pivotally attached to a predetermined position of theexhaust pressure control part, and prevents the temperature drop in theengine's combustion room by screen an open shape of the exhaust gaspassing channel from the atmosphere.
 4. A muffler for vehicle of claim1, wherein the exhaust pressure control means comprises a taperedmulti-punctured pipe inserted in the mesh pipe, whose entrance diameteris greater than an exit diameter, so that the exhaust gas introduced tothe entrance receives the more pressure than the untapered pipe, duringpassing an exhaust gas passing channel.
 5. A muffler for vehicle ofclaim 1, further comprises at least one second noise elimination meansconnected to said noise elimination means, the second noise eliminationmeans having the same construction as said noise elimination means.
 6. Amuffler for vehicle of claim 5, further comprises a second exhaustpressure control means connected between the noise elimination means andthe second noise elimination means, the second exhaust pressure controlmeans having the same construction as said noise elimination means.
 7. Amuffler for vehicle of claim 2, further comprises at least one secondnoise elimination means connected to said noise elimination means, thesecond noise elimination means having the same construction as saidnoise elimination means.
 8. A muffler for vehicle of claim 3, furthercomprises at least one second noise elimination means connected to saidnoise elimination means, the second noise elimination means having thesame construction as said noise elimination means.
 9. A muffler forvehicle of claim 4, further comprises at least one second noiseelimination means connected to said noise elimination means, the secondnoise elimination means having the same construction as said noiseelimination means.